


Out of Luck (KataraxAzula)

by SunsetLesbian



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Azula (Avatar) Redemption, F/F, LGBTQ, LGBTQ Female Character, Lesbian, Lesbian Azula (Avatar), Redemption
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:34:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24785479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunsetLesbian/pseuds/SunsetLesbian
Summary: Azula has been gone for 5 years since escaping from the Gaang while disguised as the Kemurikage. No one has any idea where her true whereabouts are. Except for herself and her team of course! Azula rekindled her relationship with the Dai Li, and with the help of her friends from the psych ward, Tsai and Jin-Jin, has become their terrifyingly inspiring leader once again. The large group lives in an underground civilization below Tu Zin, the abandoned mining town in the Eastern Earth Kingdom. However, years of attempting to heal has taken a hold on Azula, and she is starting to struggle with not showing weakness to her followers. Will healing help her or hold her back from her true destiny?Katara gets word that there are rumors circulating about Azula resurfacing, but when the rest of the Gaang finds out— they are dismissive. It’s 108 AG, they have better things to do now rather than search for the crazed Fire Nation Princess that disappeared. Aang tells her to not notify Fire Lord Zuko, and invalidates her feelings about the matter. Katara sets out to tell Zuko on her own, when something unexpected happens.This is a queer story about Katara and Azula! This is written for a queer audience by a lesbian writer!
Relationships: Azula/Katara (Avatar)
Comments: 20
Kudos: 108
Collections: Avatar: The Last Airbender





	1. Lao’s Discovery

**Author's Note:**

> This is my very first chapter! Please let me know what you think!!

**Southern Earth Kingdom- Tu Zin**

* * *

Lao was lost, that was obvious now as he stumbled through the outskirts of an abandoned village. His family had been camping along the coast as they traveled from Chameleon Bay, hoping to meet up with family in Gao Ling. Lao was told to hunt since his father, an Earth Kingdom Lieutenant, was killed during the Hundred Year War. He was just 7 at the time, but had quickly become the provider of the family. His mother, Mei, relied on him to hunt for game during their travels while she cooked and took care of his young sister who was only 8. Lao’s grandparents were also apart of the traveling party, and were much too old to be walking across the south-eastern part of the Earth Kingdom– which meant they took many breaks.

  
While stalking a young boar-q-pine, the animal had caught his scent and run off. When Lao tried to chase after his hope for a next meal, he lost his bearings and broke out into a desert like clearing that he didn’t recognize. He noticed what looked like a village ahead, and began to make the trek towards it in hopes that there would be food and supplies to purchase. But, as the Sun beat down on his neck, he quickly became dehydrated and was on the verge of heat stroke. Lao pushed himself to get to the village, and almost collapsed when he realized that it was abandoned. He had no idea how to get back to his family’s camp, and knew there wasn’t much energy left in him. He would be returning empty handed, meaning his family wouldn’t be able to eat tonight.

He wanted to give up, he felt as if he was a disgrace. Lao pressed his body against a decrepit wall, that had an awning to provide him some shade. He was about to turn back and admit his faults to his families when he began to feel the ground shaking beneath him. The teen immediately knew that someone was earth bending, just like his father used to. He peeked his head around the wall, to look into the center pathway of the village. The buildings creaked and swayed with the rumbling below, and Lao tried his best to hold the wall upright in fear of it collapsing on top of him.

  
The earth shook as a flurry of rocks began to crumble away in a circular motion. Three men in matching black uniforms emerged from below, walking quickly up stone steps that led down into a dark chasm under the village. Lao had never seen anything like this in his entire life. The men walked closely together through the village, going down an alley before pulling out a sand skimmer covered in cloth. One of the men pulled the cloth off the wooden structure and cursed when a piece broke off the side.

_Fuck, Azula is going to kill us!_

Lao stepped back, gasping silently. Azula? Princess Azula? The war criminal? She’s practically a bed time story to scare kids into staying good and nice. Everyone knows she disappeared, but his mom terrified Lao and his sister by saying it was because the Kemurikage were upset that Azula was so evil and pretended to be one of the spirits. No one had any idea what actually happened to her after she escaped from Fire Lord Zuko.

  
Lao looked around the corner again to watch the men, and noticed the bright blue lightning brooch pinned to all of their uniforms. He wasn’t sure what it was supposed to represent. The three of them proceeded to get onto the skimmer, and bend the earth underneath to move west. They were bounding quickly towards the desert, a dusty storm following behind the group.

The young boy felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up as he thought about how Azula could come out of anywhere and kill him. He felt a rush of adrenaline course through his body, and took off running towards the way he came. His body burned, but the fear kept him going until he could smell the fire from his family’s camp. Lao collapsed at the feet of his mother, allowing his body to pass out from the heat exhaustion.

_I made it_ , echoed through his head as darkness consumed him.

~~~

**Western Earth Kingdom- Cranefish Town**

* * *

All of the color from Katara’s face drained as she finished reading a message from Haru that had just arrived. She was shocked to see something from him since they had not seen each other since the end of the Hundred Year War. She wondered what he had been up to, he could have already started a family for all she knew. However, this was no check-in letter, it was vital information.  
  
_Katara,_

_I am writing you this letter mere seconds after receiving information from a reliable source. I knew I needed to contact you immediately. A few weeks ago, a young boy came across Earthbenders living underground in an abandoned mining town called Tu Zin. If I’m not mistaken, this is a place you have been before. He overheard the men referring to Azula, and the uniforms they wore had blue lightning bolt pins. We believe that she has a group of people living and working out this area. However, there have been no sightings of a woman fitting Azula’s description anywhere._

_I_ _apologize for the fact that I can only give such minimal_ _details, by the time the information had reached me, it had been passed through many different people. The young boy is named Lao, and is living in Gao Ling if you want to try to contact him. Otherwise, this is all I have and I hope this can aid the Avatar and Fire Lord Zuko in some way._

_I miss our adventures together, and I hope that you are doing well. I’m sure you have grown into a beautiful woman during the eight years since I have seen you. I always did have a soft spot for you..._

_Haru_

Katara re-read the letter a second time, ignoring the last few lines. She had to tell Aang immediately, they needed to fly on Appa to give this information to Zuko! Katara paid the Earth Kingdom messenger who had flagged her down in the Cranefish Town market, he nodded a thanks and left swiftly on his ostrich horse. Pulling the basket of bread and fruits closer to her body, Katara took off towards the water. She was thankful that the market was so close to the shoreline. Her soft brown locks whipped around her as she bent the sea water under her body, her feet skimming across the surface. It took a few minutes for her to land safely on the newly constructed dock of Air Temple Island, the water around her quickly returning back to the tide along with the droplets that had absorbed into her clothes.

There were Earth Kingdom builders everywhere, constructing the Temple in the exact way Aang had laid out. He wanted it to be perfect, and was constantly on edge about whether or not it looked authentic. Although he had Air Acolytes at all of the four Temples, the young Avatar wanted a place that felt like home when he decided to stay in Cranefish Town. Plus, he constantly talked about how perfect it would be to raise their airbender children there. The sentiment was nice, but Katara couldn’t help but think about how hurt Aang would be if the children she bore him were waterbenders instead, or were not benders at all. Would he blame her?

As she walked along the stone path to the Temple, Katara sighed and played with the small jasmine bushes that were planted around. Katara had to admit, the small island was beautiful, but she had preferred it before all of the construction took away a lot of the natural wildlife and greenery. She knew children was extremely important to Aang, but she wondered if they could even be good parents together. They had to do so much at such a young age, and Katara felt almost as if she would have to parent their children and Aang at the same time. The thought crossed her mind, _Do I want kids at all?_ She shook the thought out of her head, she had been with Aang for so long. She loved him, but lately he had been obsessing about children and rebuilding the Airbender culture. He told her recently that he had expected to have at least two kids by now, and that he was extremely disappointed. Katara felt offended, they weren’t even married! But she couldn’t even think about the marriage topic anymore without getting a painful sinking feeling. 

She walked through the newly constructed dining hall, and passed off her basket of food to an Air Acolyte cook. The cook nodded and gave a smile, walking back into the kitchen area. Katara could hear loud laughter coming from one of the tables in the corner, and she looked over her shoulder to find Aang, Sokka, and Toph. Katara ran towards them quickly, _You guys! I just got a message from Haru saying that Azula has resurfaced! We need to get on Appa and fly to Zuko immediately! We need to go find her!_

Aang looked at his girlfriend, completely perplexed, while Toph smiled wide. _Ahh, I was wondering how ol’ Soulpatch was doing_ , she giggled, flicking away some ear wax. 

_Katara what are you talking about? Azula disappeared, end of story. She hasn’t given any reason for us to go after her, or attempt to find her,_ Aang replied. 

_Yeah! No one’s spotted her since she fled, why would we need to seek someone out who has attempted to kill us every time we see her? Azula hasn’t bothered anyone_ , Sokka said while placing a hand on his sister’s arm. 

_I thought she was dead_ , Toph said darkly with a shrug. 

_Maybe she’s healing from her psychotic break. Maybe she changed her name and just wants to live a normal life_ , Aang said, he was always trying to see the good in people. Sokka added, _I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case...especially after all that stuff Ozai did to her. She was a pretty messed up kid. Zuko has told me some really terrifying stories from his childhood._

In a huff, Katara plopped down next to her brother at the table. _But shouldn’t we at least tell Zuko?_ She pleaded. 

_I think it would bring up a lot of bad memories, let’s just leave it be_ , the Avatar replied passively while stuffing a rice ball into his mouth. 

Katara nodded and sighed, giving up. Once her friends had finished invalidating her, they continued to chat about a funny story Toph had heard from one of her metal bending students, it was overly raunchy. Katara pretended to listen to, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that this was all a mistake. She felt like they needed to at least tell Zuko in person, he deserved that much. She would want to know the whereabouts of her missing brother, even if hypothetically their relationship was toxic and messed up. Katara wanted nothing more than to take Appa’s reigns and fly to the Fire Nation to alert her friend. And then maybe assist him in finding his crazed sister, it was the least she could do considering he helped her find Kya’s murderer. She had nothing better to do anyways, she felt like Aang’s mom more and more lately and was tired of the routine.

Katara swirled the tea leaves in her cup around, wondering if Azula had grown into an even more beautiful woman since she had last seen her.

Wait...what? 


	2. Show No Weakness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, so happy to be posting Chapter 2! Please let me know what you think!!
> 
> Also if you haven’t read the comics there may be a spoiler or two.

**Southern Earth Kingdom- Tu Zin**

* * *

_Good morning agents,_ Azula purred as she parted the blue fire to sit on her sleek black marble throne. The Dai Li agents nodded to their leader as she crossed her long legs and bent a small blue flame to dance around her fingers. Sergeant Chu stepped forward, and bowed respectfully. _You better have some kind of news today, Chu._

_Yes, your majesty. Our agents posted in Cranefish Town have just sent word. It seems that our location has been compromised. We attempted to intercept a messenger who was sent to deliver a letter to the Water Tribe woman about our whereabouts. The messenger was captured after delivering, but we were able to get information out of him with...some coaxing. It seems that a child spotted agents leaving from the Circle. We have men posted at Air Temple Island disguised as builders to find out what the woman will do with this information. Our guess is that they could come here any day now. The agents still have the messenger in custody and are waiting for your orders._

_Why didn’t they just kill him?_ Jin-Jin erupted from her seat adjacent to Azula. 

_Because they’re probably having fun torturing him, stupid._ Tsai replied, leaning forward to narrow her eyes at the other girl and then quickly changing her expression to a silly smile. 

_Shh now..._ Azula said, placing her hands on either sides of her to pat their heads in what seemed to be a loving manner, before smacking them both upside the head. The two girls cursed softly, and Azula continued. _You’re right Jin-Jin, they should have killed him. He’s wasting manpower that I could be using to apprehend that sea rat. Chu, send the orders to finish him off. They can be creative with the body, I don’t care._ Chu nodded, whispering to one of the agents on his right who quickly took off to send the message. 

_Now...as for what to do about Katara...I need time to think..._ Azula said darkly, clenching her fists. _I will be back in 30 minutes with a plan._ Azula stood up, pushing the fire to the side angrily as she stomped off to her quarters. 

As soon as she closed the large doors of her bedroom and was out of sight of her followers, Azula’s chest began to heave. She screamed and hurled a bright blue fireball at the wall farthest from her, items on a shelf toppled over onto the ground. She heard Zhen hiss, and scamper off into one of her hidey holes. Azula grabbed at her chest, she couldn’t breathe. Twists of pain shot through her body as she made her way over to the bathroom. Still hyperventilating, she stripped quickly and pushed herself into the cold bath water that was waiting for her. A loud hiss filled the room, as her piping hot body temperature clashed with the icy water. This calmed her panic attack immediately and she threw her head back with a soft groan, it always helped. 

Azula took a deep breathe, it felt like she was breathing for the first time all over again. Her heartbeat slowed, calming, as she ran her fingers over her face before wrapping them around her knees. Bringing her knees to her chest, she rested her chin against the top of them as she closed her eyes to think. This was her biggest fear coming to fruition. Azula heard a small _meep_ and looked over the rim of the black tub to see Zhen looking up at her with bright golden eyes. Her large black cat was the only one she could be herself around. 

She had found Zhen as a kitten on one of the Earth Kingdom roads while she was on the run. The kitten was sickly and skinny, Azula was about to drown the thing to put it out of it’s misery, an arguably weak decision to do anyway, when she gave out a soft cry. Azula felt pity, an emotion that was extremely foreign to her. This was the first of many new emotions that Zhen had brought out of Azula, and she decided to keep it. Her excuse at the time was that maybe once the cat was better she could eat it or use it as hunting bait or something, but she knew deep down that she felt the need to take care of it. Disguised as an Earth Kingdom peasant, Azula brought Zhen to a healer, who gave her milk mixed with herbs to feed the kitten. After 2 weeks on the road, Zhen had begun to start walking and filled out quickly. She followed Azula everywhere, and never left her side. Azula liked this animal, it was cunning, could think for itself, hunt for itself, had razor sharp claws, and a quick reaction time. The young cat reminded her of herself in many ways. She didn’t see Zhen as a pet, more like her non-annoying child, while also being her closest confidant. She also showed Azula that she was capable of caring for something, a notion that she tried to pretend wasn’t true.

 _Oh gods, what am I going to do?_ Azula said quietly, rubbing her fingers along Zhen’s back and then squeezing the tip of her tail softly. Zhen purred and pushed against Azula’s hand, licking her palm with a razor sharp tongue. The Firebender sighed, and went through all of the scenarios in her head. She stepped out of the tub, and raised her body temperature to allow the water to evaporate from her skin. Zhen rubbed her body against Azula’s leg, and followed her into the bed chamber. She put her clothes back on, black pants with a black tunic on top. She placed the armor over her shoulders, it was similar to the sharply edged armor she used to wear in the Fire Nation except it was a nice jet black with bright blue trim. Azula refused to wear anything but black with a small amount of blue, she didn’t want to be reminded of the deep red she had been wearing her whole life. She liked how blue looked on her creamy skin, it told everyone what she was capable of– blue fire and lightning. It kept her followers in check. 

Azula played with a ball of blue fire as she took a seat on her meditation pillow. She had learned how to meditate when she was in the psychiatric ward, but had always struggled with staying still. She thought it was stupid, and pretended to do it while her doctor sat across from her. However, in the past few years she had started to attempt it again. Azula found that it helped her sort through her constant racing thoughts, and brought her peace when she got worked up. She flicked a small flame to an incense stick and began to center herself. Taking a deep breath, she began to go through the scenarios of what could come of their location being known. She liked to talk back and forth with herself, even though she hated her inner voice. It was always so weak and tried to make her do things that were not normal for how she was used to being. 

**_Okay, Azula, what’s the worst that could happen?_**   
_Well, Katara will surely tell the Avatar and the rest of his stupid rat pack. And the Avatar will tell...ZuZu._  
 ** _What’s wrong with Zuko knowing where you are?_**  
 _He will come here, and then I will kill him._  
 ** _No, that’s not it. You’re afraid._**  
 _I’m not afraid! They fear me, fear is weak! I hate him and the rest of those shit heads, especially Katara._  
 ** _You’re afraid because you know if Zuko finds you, you’ll want to give everything up here and return to the Fire Nation as soon as you see him._**  
 _No, that’s not true! Shut up! I’d kill him in a heartbeat._  
 ** _It is true. And, if you wanted him dead, you would have already assassinated him by now, you have the resources._**  
 _Whatever, we need to avoid him finding us at all costs. We need to stop this information from reaching him._

Azula stood up, fuming from what her inner voice had said to her. She knew what she needed to do. As she laced up her black boots, Azula began to go over the plan in her head and how she was going to communicate that to her people. She patted Zhen on the head and swiftly left her bedroom, straightening the blue flame crown headpiece in her top knot as she walked down the hallway. The Dai Li and her two associates were all in the same place, waiting for her. Taking a seat on her sleek throne, she motioned to Tsai to rise. The tall girl to her left nodded and came to stand in front of her leader. Azula looked her over, scanning every inch of her body.

Tsai was beautiful considering her mental state. Her eyes were a bright gold with a ring of green surrounding her iris, which showed her mixed heritage. Tsai had grown up in the Fire Nation colony, Yu Dao, and had a Firebending mother and an Earthbending father. She was tall, with gorgeously long legs that Azula was constantly jealous of. Her hair was a deep brown, almost black but not quite and it was always up in a loose bun that if taken out would fall past her hips. Azula peered at her hips, Tsai was the curviest woman she had ever met, even more than her old friend Ty Lee. She had extra meat on her bones, but it filled out her body well, and caught the eye of many. Although Tsai was beautiful, that was not her only strong suit. She was a master actress, and could convince anyone of any thing, she had perfected mimicking people’s facial expressions. On top of that, her hand to hand combat was extremely advanced. Tsai talked about how during her childhood, her mother was strict and tried to beat Firebending techniques into her, and was disappointed when her bending was not strong at all. Because of this, Tsai took out her anger in the underground fighting ring a couple villages over, where she would beat pretty much everyone to a pulp. 

Azula met Tsai in the psychiatric ward, and was shocked to find out why she had ended up there. While her parents were beating her, the thirteen year old had slaughtered them during a fit of rage. The local authorities had to shoot her with _five_ darts to subdue the insane teen who after committing parricide, proceeded to kill anyone who got in her way. They decided to put her in the ward on the remote Fire Nation island for dangerously mentally unfit women. The workers had attempted to calm her when she would get upset, but nothing ever worked. Once triggered into a full on meltdown, the girl would go on an absolute killing rampage. The first time Azula had witnessed one of these meltdowns, Tsai had attached her body to one of the nurses, and shoved her thumbs into their eyes...while blasting fire. It was an amazing sight to the crazed princess, who knew she needed to immediately get on this girl’s good side.

During group sessions, Azula used her mind tricks to make Tsai feel like they were best friends, something Tsai took with an extreme amount of gusto. She latched onto Azula like a leech, and did anything she asked. Tsai was an only child, and wanted nothing more than someone who made her feel less lonely. When Azula had come back to break some of the girls out, Tsai was the first one, she knew she would need her on her team if she was going to succeed at anything on the run. Quickly, Azula became like family to Tsai, and the young girl was vicious to anyone who tried to disrespect her princess. 

_I have a plan for you, I need you to leave for Cranefish Town immediately,_ Azula said darkly. Tsai smiled wide, clasping her hands together excitedly. 

**Southern Water Tribe- Harbor City**

* * *

Katara couldn’t stop thinking about the letter Haru had sent her. It had been a few weeks since she had received it, and had tried to forget about it as she visited her father in the Southern Water Tribe. But, she was distracted the entire time, and was always deep in thought. During the past week of her being in Harbor City, she had missed almost every single Reconstruction Meeting, and kept forgetting to eat at meal time with the rest of her family. Katara would spend most of her time sitting by the ocean, bending the water as she went through scenarios. She would practice what she wanted to say to Aang about going after Azula, _She almost killed you, she tried to kill me!_ Katara just couldn’t shake the feeling that something was pulling her towards finding Azula, it was similar feeling that she had felt when going after her mother’s murderer, except less revenge driven. 

Hakoda found Katara sitting silently near the water, and knew she was going to miss dinner if he didn’t drag her back to the Royal Palace. He was worried about his daughter, although she hadn’t told him what happened in Cranefish Town, he knew it was bothering her immensely. During dinner, Katara was silent and was pretending to eat as she pushed the food on her plate around mindlessly. Not even Sokka tripping as he walked into the dining room helped get her out of her daze. The young woman sipped her tea, the jasmine leaves reminding her of Zuko and Iroh, she needed to see them. Right then and there Katara decided to go back to Air Temple Island early, she needed to talk to Aang about this letter again, she needed to convince him to go with her to tell Zuko. 

_Sokka, I’m going to take the airship, you can come with me or stay here,_ Katara said abruptly before standing up from the table and hovering behind her seat, waiting for an answer.

 _Nah I’m staying, send it back when you get there though,_ Sokka clapped his little sister on the shoulder, he didn’t know what she was up to, but her determination made the young man understand this was serious. 

Katara hugged her father tightly, and nodded to his new wife, Malina. Hakoda watched his youngest sprint out of the dining room before grabbing her bag and leaving out the large doors with a slam.

 _What was all that about?_ Malina asked, placing a hand over her husband’s.

 _I don’t know, women are so strange,_ Sokka replied as he stuffed food into his mouth.

 _Don’t say that about your sister, what would Suki have to say about this?_ Hakoda boomed across the table. 

_She’d probably beat me up..._ Sokka mumbled, before crossing his arms.

**Western Earth Kingdom- Air Temple Island**

* * *

It was night when Katara began to disembark from the airship, thanking the staff as she left and making sure to tell them to go straight back to the Southern Water Tribe. She was starting to get used to the perks of her father being Head Chieftan. As Katara stepped down onto the dock, she felt a wave of unsettling emotions wash over her. Something didn’t feel right. Katara made her way up to their living quarters to find Aang, she assumed he was in bed since it was the middle of the night. The unsettling feeling she had began to multiply as she got closer and closer to her boyfriend’s room. She hoped he was okay, and not in trouble. Katara quickened her pace. Once outside the door to their bedroom, Katara stopped dead in her tracks. She could hear something coming from the room, it was loud and high pitched. It was moaning! Her heart sank as she realized what she was hearing, and it just about broke when she recognized Aang’s groans mixed in with the unknown woman’s.

Katara took a deep breath, and opened the door to the room. It was her bedroom too, she had a right to come in whenever she wanted, or at least that’s what she told herself as her body began to shake. Sure enough, there was her boyfriend of eight years on top of another woman. Her eyes immediately went to the clothes on the floor, it was all hues of gold and red, this woman was an Air Acolyte. Aang gasped, looking up at his girlfriend with a horrified and shameful expression. She was absolutely speechless and tears began to stream down Katara’s face as Aang scrambled to get dressed, attempting to cover up the naked girl in their bed. Rage mixed with a stinging pain began to bubble up.

 _How could you?_ The water bender sobbed, clenching her fists. The tears coming from her eyes began to swirl around her body, ready to attack.

 _Katara...I’m so sorry...I...I wasn’t expecting you until next week,_ Aang said sadly, taking a step towards her. _Stay back!_ Katara screamed. Aang put his hands up, taking a seat on the bed. He leaned down and began to hand the mystery woman her clothes. She was still covered by the blankets, and all Katara could see was strands of black hair sticking up. Sitting up to put on her Air Acolyte uniform, she looked over to Katara apologetically. It was Umi, one of the girls who had been apart of the Avatar Fan Club in Ba Sing Se and had converted to an Air Acolyte when Aang began allowing people to live on Air Temple Island. The girl had always ignored Katara purposefully, and honestly, she wasn’t surprised that Umi had infiltrated their relationship at all. 

_How long have you been doing this behind my back?_ Katara said, bending the tears around her into a ball in front of her, ready to hurl it towards Aang if he lied. He was an awful liar, and she could always see right through him. Although Katara wasn’t surprised about Umi, she was shocked that her boyfriend had been able to keep this from her. Maybe he wasn’t the man she thought he was. 

_Not long...I-_

_For over a year,_ Umi interrupted, placing a hand on Aang’s arm. He tensed, and cursed under his breath as he heard Katara gasp. The Avatar looked at his feet, he couldn’t even look his girlfriend in the eye for the shame he felt was too great.

 _He wants an heir,_ Umi continued, _He’s committed to rebuilding the Air Nomad nation and continuing the culture. Aang needs Airbending children, and I’m going to give that to him. You waited too long, and now someone else has replaced you in pleasure and practicality._

 _Umi, stop._ Aang said sternly, pushing her hand off of him. 

_Why did you do this? I thought you loved me. I sacrificed everything for you, look at all I did for you!_ Katara screamed, falling to her knees. She felt like giving up, she didn’t know what to do with herself.

 _I do love you, Katara! I want to marry you! I...I just...I need to continue my legacy, that’s been my main focus for years now. I thought that maybe if I got Umi pregnant, you’d see that I need to be with as many women as I can to save Airbending. I was impatient, I just...I didn’t know what to do! I’m the last of my element, I need to give it the best chance I can to make sure it survives past me. I’m sorry, please forgive me._ Aang pleaded, coming forward to place his hand on Katara’s shoulder. She flinched and stood up quickly, pushing him away from her. 

_I understand, Aang..._ Katara said softly, her blue eyes burning into his soul. Aang’s breath hitched, and the beginnings of a smile began to cross his face. _But, I can’t be with you anymore._ Aang stepped back like he had been shot, holding his chest, his eyes wide in shock. 

_No...Katara-_ The Waterbender put her hand out to cut him off, _You’re right, you need to produce a legacy. You need Airbending children, something I’m not ready to give you. I don’t think I’ll ever be ready to give you what you want. I wish you and Umi and whoever else bears children for you luck. I’ll send for someone to collect my things._ Katara turned away, her chest burning with anger and sadness.

 _Wait, Katara!_ Aang grabbed her wrist before she could open the door to leave. _Will we ever be able to get past this? You’re my best friend, I don’t want to lose that._

 _You should have thought of that before you started fucking other women,_ Katara sneered, pulling her arm away and slamming the door behind her. She ran down the hall and turned the corner, making sure he wasn’t following her. The young woman collapsed against the wall and onto the floor, burying her head in her hands as she sobbed. What was she supposed to do now? 

Aang swore loudly, throwing his staff against the wall in a fit of anger. Umi came up behind him, and turned his face towards her. The bright green in her eyes were comforting to Aang, and his heavy breathing slowed a bit. 

_Just give her some time, she’ll come back around. How could anyone give up a life with the Avatar?_

Aang shook his head, knowing Katara was too stubborn to forgive him. This was one of the biggest mistakes he had ever made. 

~~~

Katara stormed into the male dormitories, dousing water onto the Air Acolyte men who were soundly sleeping 5 minutes ago. They all awoke with shrieks and groans, as their eyes adjusted to the soft light of dawn and the angry Water Tribe girl standing in the doorway. 

_Listen up!_ Katara boomed, the flames of determination in her eyes. _I need you to send a hawk to the Fire Lord, immediately. Tell him I am on my way to deliver important information. I need a group of you to find me a boat, I know there are some in the ship yard that will be capable enough to allow me to sail to the Fire Nation. I need another group to pack up my belongings and ship them to the Royal Palace in Harbor City. The rest of you will gather supplies and food for my voyage, I expect them to be loaded onto the boat by the time I am ready to leave._ The men scrambled, gathering items before taking off to fulfill the duties that had just been barked at them. Katara rubbed her temples, she always turned too bossy when she was upset. Maybe she had been too hard on them? The girl shook her head and walked towards the dock to wait for her boat. 

In less than an hour the boat was ready and loaded, the man she had ordered to send a hawk came towards her with the elegant bird perched on his arm. _I just want to double check the letter is accurate and correct, Lady Katara,_ the Air Acolyte said softly, handing her the small scroll. Katara looked it over and nodded, _This looks great, thank you._ She pulled out her seal and stamped the paper before handing it back to the man. The hawk took off immediately, and she watched as it gracefully disappeared through the clouds. Little did she know, that the hawk would soon be captured by a much larger bird, the letter never reaching the young Fire Lord and would instead be in possession of his sister’s henchmen. 

Katara stepped foot onto her boat, it wasn’t large. It had a long deck and a small living quarter underneath, it was perfect for the short trip to the Fire Nation. She silently calculated how long it would take for her to arrive, with her bending it would only take about 4 days. This was more than enough time for her to process her recent breakup and strategize a plan to hunt down Azula. Katara turned to look at all of the Air Acolyte men she had woken up, the early morning breeze making them all shiver slightly as they waited for her to disembark. 

_Thank you all for helping me,_ she said softly, giving them a grateful smile. They all nodded. _Please, don’t tell anyone about this, especially Aang. I need to do this for myself without anyone getting involved. Go back to sleep and pretend this never happened._

The men looked around at each other quizzically, unsure if this was something that they should keep quiet. One of the men stepped forward, and bowed respectfully towards the woman, _You have our word._ Katara’s eyes began to well up with tears, and she nodded another thanks before bending the water around the hull of the boat and pushing herself away from Air Temple Island. The Air Acolytes, turned and slumped off to their dormitory, completely exhausted. 

Yue Bay smoothly took Katara’s boat through the harbor, and she felt the cool water shift warmly to the Mo Ce Sea. The Waterbender, surrounded by her element, took in a deep breath of the salty air and sighed, she couldn’t wait to get to her destination. She always felt funny when she was excited to arrive in the Fire Nation, a feeling that was completely out of the ordinary during the war. 

~~~

After an entire day on the water, Katara was exhausted and extremely hungry. Her bending was getting weaker since she needed to sleep and recharge. Deciding to retire for the night, she tied the ropes for the sail as tight as she could and made her way under the deck and into the hull. She hoped that La would keep an eye on her, and not let her go the wrong way as she slept. As Katara began to prepare herself dinner, she started to hear screaming and her eyes widened. Someone was out there! She sprung up and ran out onto the deck, looking all around for where the noise was coming from. Katara looked over the eastern side of the ship and spotted a feminine figure clinging to a piece of wreckage for dear life. More screams for help filled the air, and a hand began waving wildly to get Katara’s attention. 

Quickly, Katara planted her feet and bent the water around the young woman. The girl gasped, and allowed the water to carry her towards the boat. As softly as she could, Katara lowered her onto the deck, bending all of the water away from her. She coughed up water as she lay practically lifeless on the dry deck of the boat. Katara ran towards her, quickly bending water to her hands so that she could heal the woman. Her glowing blue hands hovered over the unknown girl’s body, luckily there were no injuries other than a large scrape on her forehead. It was quickly healed in seconds, and the girl sat up and thanked Katara for saving her.

 _Come inside, I have dinner almost ready, I’m sure you’re starving after being cast out at sea._ Katara helped the young woman up and pulled her under the ship into the living quarters. She took a seat on a cushion and continued cooking as the mysterious woman watched. 

_If you don’t mind me asking, what happened?_ Katara asked, pouring some tea for the girl. As she began to speak, Katara took that moment to take in all of what she was seeing. The girl was tall, with dark brown hair in a long braid, her eyes were a greenish-gold, and she had creamy skin. Her face had high cheekbones, her lips were pink and unusually full, and her nose was small and upturned. She was extremely beautiful, but there was something about her that Katara couldn’t quite place, something dark. 

_My brother and I were fishing this afternoon, when a huge serpent-like monster smashed our small boat. The force from the impact caused me to be swept away, but luckily I had held onto some of the wreckage. That’s what ultimately kept me afloat, until you came along I had been in the water for hours. I was so close to giving up, you saved my life,_ she said as tears streamed down her face. Katara’s stomach sank, this poor girl had been through so much. 

_What happened to your brother?_ The Waterbender asked, her blue eyes shining and on the verge of tears. She couldn’t imagine what this girl could be going through, if Katara ever lost her brother that way, she would be in absolute shambles.

 _I...I don’t know..._ the girl said pathetically, looking to the ground as salty tears continued to run down her pink cheeks. Katara placed a hand over the girl’s, and spent the rest of the night talking to her about her life. She was used to listening to people, and giving them “Mom” advice, just like how she had been with her friend group since busting Aang out of the iceberg. They had spent such a long time chatting, that Katara realized they hadn’t even exchanged names. As the two got ready to sleep for the night, Katara looked over at the sweet Firebender.

 _Hey, I never asked your name,_ Katara said softly. The girl smiled wide, and snuggled deeper into the fuzzy blankets.

 _It’s Tsai,_ she replied, _but that’s okay, Katara, I didn’t expect you to know that._ Katara’s smile began to fade as she started to look at Tsai, the other girl’s face was darkening a bit.

 _Wait...how did you-_ Katara stopped herself, and held her hand to her forehead that had suddenly began to thump. Gods, she was so exhausted...why was she so exhausted? Her head slumped a bit and she tried her hardest to push her body up. Katara’s limbs flailed and her body fell against the wood of the hull harder than was expected. What was happening to her?

Darkness consumed her, and the last thing Katara saw was Tsai’s golden-green eyes boring into her soul.

**Southern Earth Kingdom- Tu Zin**

* * *

_Azula was standing at the shore, watching the waves of Ember Island’s sandy beach crash at her ankles. She took a deep breath in, the salty air filling her lungs. The sun was beating down on her skin, and she ran her fingers down the warm front of her chest. Chills coursed through Azula’s body and she rubbed the goosebumps on her arms, trying to calm her overactive skin._

_The sparkling ocean began to ripple in front of Azula, and she stepped back in concern. Everything pulsed in front of her as the water exploded and a shadowy figure emerged under the depths of the Mo Ce Sea. Wind whipped her jet black hair around her pale face, and the Firebender’s ember eyes couldn’t look away as the waves parted in front of her. A tan, curvaceous woman stepped before her, and the soft brown waves of her hair moved with the water in an elegant display. Azula had never seen something so beautiful, and wanted to mentally slap herself for thinking so weakly._

_The woman was close to the Firebender now, and reached out to caress Azula’s check softly. She flinched, and gasped when the other girl’s hand was cold. It was so soothing compared to her burning skin, and she wanted more. Their eyes met, and Azula reeled back, the woman in front of her had the most mesmerizing blue eyes that made her heart feel like it was collapsing. Those oceanic eyes flicked down to look at Azula’s plump lips, and her heart rate quickened as sparks shot down her spine to where her thighs met– arguable the hottest part of her body currently. Azula leaned in, curious to know the feel of the soft skin of the other woman’s lips. She wanted her...no, **needed** her. _

There was a loud crash and Azula sprang up into a fighting stance before smacking her forehead against the ceiling. She cursed and looked over to see that Zhen had knocked her bowl of water over. The girl rolled her eyes and cursed as the pain from her forehead began to pound. Climbing off of her bed, she walked over to clean up the mess. Zhen always got overzealous and playful at night, pretending she was hunting a nonexistent mouse or something. 

What was that dream? Who was that woman? 

After cleaning up the water and refilling it, Azula sat down. She pulled out a paper and ink and began to recount the face of the beautiful woman in her dream. Something was familiar about her but she couldn’t quite place it. As she began to remember her captivating eyes, she looked down and gasped. 

_Katara._

Azula touched her lips, and began to shake. Her head pounded more and she began to scream in a fit of rage. She held the drawing of Katara in her hands and blue fire began to pour out of her mouth as she made more guttural, painful noises. The paper disintegrated, the black ash pooling at Azula’s feet. 

This was not okay. She needed to stop showing weakness. She was going to kill that Waterbender once Tsai delivered her, and _that_ was a promise. 


	3. The Plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay with the third chapter, I’ve been wanting to make sure it’s perfect. This is definitely a filler to set up the next chapter when Katara and Azula finally meet, so bare with me!!! I wanted to flesh out some of the characters more before the action really started
> 
> TW: abuse, mentions of sexual assault, kidnapping, etc
> 
> Please let me know what you think!

**Western Mo Ce Sea**

* * *

_How much longer do we have to wait?_ Tsai huffed as she played with her fan replicas. 

_If we calculated her departure correctly, she should be passing through within the hour._ Agent Tu replied, turning to look at the young woman. Her eyes shimmered up at him, and he attempted to not feel some form of care for her, but was definitely failing. Over the past few years, Tu had come to feel possessive over the girl, acting as a sort of older brother figure. Whenever she was sent out on missions, he always accompanied her. But, Azula had drilled in them to not show any weakness, and weakness was usually affiliated with emotions. Tu tried not to feel for Tsai, but the seemingly cold-hearted assassin was much more complex. She was silly and loved to crack jokes, and had a hopeful outlook on life. He also enjoyed her obsession with Avatar Kyoshi, Tsai never ran out of fun facts and rambled constantly about her whenever she could. 

_Do you want to go over the plan again?_ He asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. Tsai closed her fans and nodded. 

_Okay, so once Katara is spotted, I’ll place the plywood in the water. You’ll bend the earth so I can stand, and not actually drown because you know I’m not a good swimmer. You and the rest of the guys will stay on the ship and disguise yourself behind a big boulder and sail behind it to follow us. I do my little performance, and then place the sleepy medicine thingy in her tea or food or whatever. She passes out, I give the signal. We take her aboard, and sail back. Easy as pie!_ Tsai rambled, giving a triumphant smile at the end. She had remembered everything, and felt proud of herself. Tu nodded.

 _And what about her boat?_ The agent asked, raising an eyebrow. Tsai rolled her eyes, she could have sworn she had said everything. 

_Right, right, I was getting to that. We take all of her stuff and then you guys burry the boat into the ocean floor so no one can find it later,_ Tsai finished, pulling out her fans. With a dramatic flourish she added, _It’s the perfect crime!_ Tu smiled, and patted her shoulder. A bell sounded softly, but just loud enough for the crew to hear. Tsai’s head snapped in the direction of the noise, _It’s time._ The Firebender de-robed to reveal her Fire Nation peasant outfit, she loved being able to pull out all of the costumes that Jin-Jin had made her. She raised her body temperature so that she would not freeze while waiting for her target. She sat up on the railing, and pulled herself over slowly, careful to not slip on the slick metal. As her barefoot stepped onto the large wooden “wreckage,” Tsai’s body lurched forward and she lost her footing. Her body crashed onto the wood, and her head slammed against it, splinters flying everywhere. The agent gasped and leaned over the railing of the ship.

 _Are you okay?_ He called down to her. Tsai touched her forehead softly, feeling her own sticky blood on her shaking fingers. She looked up at him and flashed a silly grin. 

_I’m good! It’ll look more realistic now!_ She giggled, angling her body to hang off of the planks. Tu sighed in relief, and bent the ocean floor up to touch her dangling feet. That girl really was so unpredictable, but Tu enjoyed that about her. Picking up her robe with her small fans attached, he waved and watched as the other agents pulled their ship behind the huge boulder. He hoped that their disguise would be good enough for the Master Waterbender to not notice. But, he couldn’t dwell on that anymore as all of the agents took their positions, all they could do now was wait.

~~~

 _You should tell him how you feel, it’s not good to hold these types of things in,_ Katara said as she looked at Tsai sympathetically. Tsai looked off into the distance longingly and sighed.

 _But I’m scared it’ll ruin our friendship. Plus I think it’ll upset our other friend, and then it will disrupt our entire friend group. I just don’t know...love is terrifying,_ she replied, pouting slightly. Tsai was getting too caught up, talking to Katara was so nice. She hadn’t talked about her feelings for Jin-Jin with anyone, and was nervous to disclose to the Waterbender that the person she was talking about was actually a woman. A really sexy, badass woman too...Tsai shook her head, she needed to stay on track. 

_You’ve got that right...come here! It looks like you need a hug,_ Katara smiled sweetly, holding her arms out to the other girl. Even though she was a stranger, the last hour of them talking about the mystery woman’s life made Katara feel fondly of her. It had been a while since she talked about this kind of thing, Toph wasn’t really the touchy feely type, and Suki was always on the road with the other Kyoshi Warriors. While sitting there talking to the girl, Katara realized that she had been so lonely at Air Temple Island, and that she didn’t have many friends. 

Tsai just about cried when Katara extended her arms out to her, it had been such a long time since anyone had hugged her. She could not remember the last time she had felt a friend embrace her. She still had a mission, but she was definitely going to enjoy herself. Tsai stood up and made her way over to Katara, making sure to hold the sedative under her sleeve. Katara stood up too, and barely passed her chest, _She’s so small and cute!_ Tsai found herself thinking as she wrapped her arms around her. They stood there for a moment, and the two sighed in each others embrace. The two young women had been so deprived of a friendship like this. Before letting go of Katara, Tsai quickly poured the white powder into the Waterbender’s piping hot tea. Since Katara was so small compared to the other girl’s tall figure, it was easy to block out her line of vision. _You’ve been through a lot today, I say we get some sleep,_ Katara mumbled under Tsai’s tight hug. She nodded and pulled away, giving Katara a huge smile. Under different circumstances, Tsai could see them being close friends. She tried to not think about what Azula was going to do to her once they got back to Tu Zin. 

_Yeah, you’re right. Let me just finish my tea,_ Tsai replied, taking a long swig of her remaining beverage. As she leaned her head back to get the last drops, she peaked over at Katara, who was mimicking her. It wouldn’t be long before it kicked in. Tsai smiled to herself and began to get cozy in the furs and blankets that Katara had given her to sleep in. The Waterbender did the same, organizing her sleeping arrangements neatly before getting under the covers.

 _Hey, I never asked your name,_ Katara whispered, Tsai almost didn’t hear her over the waves. Oh yes, the sedatives were definitely kicking in. She would knock out in a minute maybe less, there was no shame in lying, the next time Katara would see her it would be under much different circumstances. 

_It’s Tsai, but that’s okay, Katara, I didn’t expect you to know that._ Tsai watched Katara’s face change, she thought it would be fun to throw in that little line. She enjoyed studying people’s facial expressions, especially when someone was completely defenseless, they never held back. As the Waterbender began to realize what was going on, her body flailed around like a fish, and Tsai tried her best to not giggle. Instead she put a sinister face on, the one Azula had taught her, and waited for the young woman to finish fighting the drugs. She was taking way longer than the other people she had used sedatives on before. Once she stopped moving, and her body went limp, Tsai stood up.

 _You put up a good fight,_ she said sweetly, picking up her wrist and then dropping it, just in case. Katara was out cold. Tsai crouched over her and sighed, Katara was extremely beautiful, and the Firebender felt almost envious... _almost_. She brushed the hairs out of her face, the girl’s famous Water Tribe hair loopies had become undone from the events that had just taken place. She stopped herself from undoing Katara’s hair and playing with it, there wasn’t time for that, but maybe once they were on the ship. She made a mental note to ask the girl if that was okay once she woke up. 

It was time to signal the Dai Li ship and head back home. Tsai couldn’t wait to eat some fresh dumplings and flirt with Jin-Jin, her two favorite pastimes. The tall Firebender stood and made her way out onto the deck, it was raining now, and the cool water felt good on her steaming skin. She looked up towards the starry night sky and took a deep breath. With as much focus as she could, she raised her fist into the air and punched out a fire ball. It wasn’t huge, but it did what it needed to do, since immediately after she could hear the bells sounding. In the blink of an eye the Dai Li agents had already begun boarding the small boat. Tsai skipped off to her quarters, her job was done, and she did a great one at that! She deserved some much needed sleep. As soon as she closed the door to her room, her face went completely blank. There was no need to keep her expression mask on when no one was around. Tsai laid down on the flat bed in her cabin, and reached under her pillow to feel for her small wooden toys. Tu had left her replica fans right where she always did, and that made her feel cared for. She gripped them in her hands as she fell fast asleep, dreaming of adventures with Avatar Kyoshi.

**Southern Earth Kingdom- Tu Zin**

* * *

Azula sat quietly as she ate her breakfast, only peaking over at Jin-Jin every so often. It was always so weird with just the two of them, since neither were any good at conversation. Azula hated small talk, and Jin-Jin was not very entertaining, sometimes she was even more dim than Mai. The princess mentally smacked herself for thinking about her ex-best friend, Gods how she hated her. 

_It’s so quiet without Tsai,_ Jin-Jin stated, playing with the tea leaves floating around in her cup. 

_Yes, it has been quite some time since she has left Tu Zin,_ Azula replied.

 _No I don’t!_ Jin-Jin hissed, staring into her tea cup. Azula looked over, raising an eyebrow, sometimes she forgot that the other girl talked to the man in her head out loud. She preferred when Xu would speak from inside of Jin-Jin, he had a silver-tongue and scared all of the Dai Li. Not as much as Azula of course, but enough to make her laugh at the way the men flinched.

Azula had first heard Jin-Jin talk to Xu at the Royal Fire Academy for Girls when they were children. Jin-Jin was an outcast because of her tendency to speak with someone who wasn’t there, and her overall darkness. The other girls at the Academy taunted her in the beginning, but everyone left her alone once they saw her combat skills. She was a cold-blooded killer, even more so than Azula. Jin-Jin never hesitated, and had precision unlike the Fire Nation Princess had ever seen. But, most people were terrified by her eyes, they were the normal Fire Nation gold, but a rumor started that if you looked into them long enough, you could see flames. Azula thought this was hilarious, but didn’t want to admit that she did feel a bit threatened by the girl at the time. 

The daughter of a Fire Nation Governor, that Azula always seemed to forget the name of, Jin-Jin grew up in nobility and possessed the same obedient and bland personality that most girls in her situation had. Her parents tried to pretend that Xu was just her imaginary friend when she was a child, but as she got older and nothing seemed to change, they decided to send her to the Academy. They thought that it would help whip her into normalcy and produce a fine noblewoman. Instead, just about the opposite was produced. With a 12 inch, curved dragon horn in hand, Jin-Jin took on fighting like another language. By the time she was ready to graduate, she could slice a fatal artery on her opponent without looking and make it look like she was creating art. Jin-Jin was incredibly graceful with everything she did, even when she sliced the throat of her wilderness survival teacher who had attempted to put a hand up her tunic as she slept. That was what ultimately sent her to the psych ward, where Azula would find her years later. They used Xu as an excuse for her admission, but the Academy was strategically trying to not let word get out about what had happened on a survival camping trip. 

Jin-Jin had changed a lot by the time Azula joined her and Tsai in the ward. As a child the girl had a mass of curls stuffed into a tight braid that went all the way down her back. It would swing, taunting her opponent, as she danced around them in the fighting ring. Now, it was incredibly short, shaved on the sides with loose curls on top. Jin-Jin looked much more masculine than Azula had ever seen for a Fire Nation woman, who technically, held a lot of nobility. In the Fire Nation long hair was apart of people’s identity, it was a source of honor and power. Cutting it short meant she had lost a fight, but Jin-Jin had never lost a fight, she merely loathed the Fire Nation. 

Azula kind of understood why she had done it, Jin-Jin didn’t want to look like the women who had outcasted her and made her feel less than all of her life. It was the same reason she made Azula and the rest of her followers outfits that didn’t reflect the colors of the Fire Nation. She picked up tailoring in the psych ward, something that Xu took quite an interest to, he was always forcing her to draw out his newest designs. It was a nice hobby for her that she did often when she wasn’t out being an assassin for Azula. Tsai enjoyed the clothes the most, and was constantly begging for an Avatar Kyoshi outfit. But Azula condemned that idea, not wanting to be reminded of Ty Lee. Tsai went into a huge depressive episode after that, and didn’t eat for days until Jin-Jin had presented her with two wooden fans that were supposed to replicate Kyoshi’s. The young Firebender cried happily after that, and forced Jin-Jin to eat piles of dumplings with her while they chatted and laughed.

Azula was a bit jealous of how close the two girls were, they had already established a relationship before Azula was admitted into the psych ward. But at the same time, she didn’t want a friendship with them for fear that she would be betrayed just like she had been before. They were her employees, and did whatever she commanded, and she liked it that way. She didn’t need people to hang out and giggle with, Azula found that repulsive now, even if she did feel lonely. At least she had Zhen and could tell her anything without fear of it reaching others, the black cat never talked back and Azula enjoyed that. 

Jin-Jin stood up, pushing her full bowl of food away from her. The short assassin sulked off silently down the hall. Xu must have said something that upset her. Azula shrugged and continued drinking her tea, thinking about the group of agents who would be arriving back in Tu Zin any day now. She wondered what she would say to Katara, it had been about five years since they had seen each other, and Azula felt the need to come up with a taunting remark. She knew ultimately that she was going to kill her, but it had been so long since they had harbored a prisoner, and she wanted to have fun with that power dynamic for a bit. Not long enough for the Avatar to come rescue her, but just enough for Azula to feel that it was worth keeping her there rather than having Jin-Jin or Tsai kill her back in Cranefish Town. The Princess really did enjoy playing mind games, and from what she remembered, Katara was so susceptible to that type of thing. She was so naive and hopeful, two things that Azula had gotten beat out of her. But, the little voice in the back of her head kept taunting her, saying, **_Katara is a woman now, she might not be exactly as you remember her. I bet she’s even more beautiful, and way smarter._** Gods, Azula hated her inner voice, it was weak, and she could show absolutely no weakness once her prisoner was here. 

**Southern Sea- Gao Ling**

* * *

Katara had been in and out of consciousness for days, confused as to what was going on, scared that she was going to die, and angry that she was too weak to fight back. She knew now that they had been pumping her with some kind of sedative, it dulled her senses and made her sleep constantly. The feel of her element was strong, so she knew she was surrounded by water, but her lack of strength made it difficult to lift a finger, let alone bend herself out of whatever situation she had gotten herself into. Katara felt defeated, and especially terrified. No one knew where she was, she hoped that Zuko would get her message and send out a search party once she hadn’t arrived, but she didn’t know for sure when that would even happen.

 _Good evening Katara_ , she heard someone say. Katara couldn’t turn her head, only blink lazily and open her mouth to breath. The voice sounded familiar, though, but she couldn’t quite place it.

 _I hope you’re feeling okay, all things considered,_ The girl stood over Katara, and she blinked, suddenly recognizing her. It was Tsai, the girl she had rescued from the Mo Ce Sea. Katara had no idea who this person really was, or why she had kidnapped her. 

_We’ll be docking soon, and then once it’s nightfall we’ll head up the Nan Shan River, which will only take a few hour. By the time we get home, you’ll start to feel normal again. But until then, you’re stuck with me!_ Tsai sat down next to Katara and smiled down at her. Katara slowly moved her eyes to look at the person beside her out of the corner of her eye. She needed to escape but she didn’t know how.

 _So usually when I’m with people in this type of..._ Tsai made a gesture toward the Waterbender, _...situation, I have them blink once for yes and blink twice for no. You get me?_ One blink. _Okay good! So I was wondering... can I braid your hair? It helps pass the time and your hair is sooooo long and pretty._ Katara was so confused. Braid her hair? What kind of strange dream was she in? Katara felt creeped out, and scared, but wasn’t sure what Tsai would do to her if she didn’t comply, so she blinked a yes. Tsai’s face lit up, she rarely ever got to play with other’s hair, it reminded her of when she used to braid Jin-Jin’s, once long hair, elaborately in the psych ward. It made Tsai feel calm, and in control. Plus she enjoyed talking to people while they were drugged, she could talk for hours without anyone protesting. It was the only time she didn’t feel burdensome, and really enjoyed the company. Even though she couldn’t realize that the power dynamic to begin with was toxic and wrong, Tsai always treated the people Azula ordered her to deal with as nicely as possible, until it came down to certain orders of course.

Tsai lifted Katara’s head to lay in the Firebender’s lap, and pulled out a golden comb from her pocket. As the knots in Katara’s long curls became undone, she mentally winced, since her face couldn’t actually move. Her hair was basically matted and was in a serious need of a wash, Katara couldn’t remember the last time she had a bath. It must have been while she was in Harbor City, the day she left for Air Temple Island. She wasn’t sure how many days or weeks it had been since that, but it felt like a lifetime ago. 

As Tsai brushed through Katara’s hair, she began to talk about all the things she rambled about in her own head normally. She spoke about Avatar Kyoshi and how much she loved her. Tsai wished that she had been alive 400 years ago when Kyoshi was around, she was certain she had been born in the wrong time. She told Katara about the Daofei, the cutthroat gang that Kyoshi basically ran, and how she would have definitely been apart of it. Tsai also explained her obsession with the Dai Li, she felt honored constantly to be in their presence since they had been created and trained by Avatar Kyoshi in the beginning. Although she did it to appease the corrupt Earth King and didn’t intend for them to turn into secret police, Tsai saw them as one of the most badass and cutthroat group of men ever. She also loved the fact that she was constantly in contact with a remnant of Kyoshi. 

Katara listened to everything Tsai was rambling about, she wondered what the girl would do when she told her about the time she was at Chin Village and saw Avatar Kyoshi in person. Or the fact that she had seen and touched Kyoshi’s relics up close. Plus she had dated a direct reincarnation of the 7ft tall warrior woman, she was sure Tsai would go insane. As she laid there, feeling Tsai’s nimble fingers weave through her hair, Katara began to realize what was happening. Once Tsai mentioned the Dai Li, Katara knew immediately that they were going to Tu Zin. Azula must have found out about Haru’s message, and now she was going to imprison her to get to Zuko and Aang, that was the only explanation Katara could think of. Katara became absolutely terrified as she put the pieces together and began running through all of the different scenarios. Tsai could feel the Waterbender in her lap tense up, was it something she said? 

Azula was completely insane and unpredictable, Katara was certain of that. She had no idea what to expect or how any of this would go down. Would Azula kill her? She wasn’t sure. But one thing Katara was completely certain of was that she would put up a big fight. 

**Southern Earth Kingdom- Tu Zin**

* * *

_Azula was on the beach of Ember Island again, but this time it was a memory. Her dream point of view looked on from afar as three figures sat on the sand. Fire Lord Ozai’s crown shimmered in the sunlight, and he looked down at his children as they played. The young royal children couldn’t be more than 5 and 7 years old. Young Azula threw sand at her brother, giggling as it got into his eyes and mouth. Zuko got up in a fit, and kicked the sand onto his little sister. Azula stood, covered in the tiny granules as she began to get angry. The two circled each other, waiting for the right opportunity to strike with more sand. Their rivalry was incredibly strong, even at that age. The young Princess looked over to her father, who was peering at her disapprovingly. He wanted her to win, she was the one who was born lucky and needed to succeed at everything. Young Zuko finally took a large handful of sand and dumped it all over his sister, who fell on her butt from the force. She had sand everywhere, and felt shocks of pain in the area that she fell on. Azula sniffled and started to cry, rubbing her eyes, but evidently rubbing more sand into them. She cried harder, and Zuko stepped back, seeing his father stand up. Fire Lord Ozai stomped over, his fists clenched and covered in flames. He stood in front of his young daughter, and spit at his feet, just barely missing Azula. The flames diminished and he raised his hand, bringing it down in a fit of rage and striking his daughter across the face._

**_No crying, it shows you are weak. And you CAN NOT be weak. Do you understand me?_ **

_Azula’s face went blank and she nodded. No weakness, she couldn’t ever show it. Zuko looked on horrified and ran towards the beach house to cower behind his mother. The Princess stood, her face now wiped of any emotion. Fire Lord Ozai placed his hand on her shoulder._

**_Good girl._ **

_Adult Azula suddenly felt a hand on her own shoulder and turned to see shining blue eyes. It was Katara, giving her a look of sympathy, an emotion Azula loathed. The two women did not speak, Azula couldn’t bring herself to say anything, she didn’t know what to do. Katara’s soft hand went up to touch the Fire Nation Princess’s cheek, brushing a tear that had somehow escaped from a corner of Azula’s golden eyes. Somehow, just looking into Katara’s eyes, Azula felt at peace. Even more so than when she would attempt to meditate. Her body felt like it was on fire, but not in the same way that it usually did when she would bend, it was different. The place where Katara touched her tingled and she moved her face to push into the tanned hand more. Azula closed her eyes, and reveled in the feeling, it was so foreign to her. When she opened her eyes, Katara’s face was incredibly close to her own, and her sweet breath tickled Azula’s face. She felt a sudden urge, something that she couldn’t control, even if she wanted to. Katara’s long eyelashes batted slowly, and Azula’s breath hitched as she leaned in painstakingly slow. Their lips brushed, cold and heat mixing in a way that made Azula feel like she was intoxicated._

Azula forced herself awake, gasping for air as she sat up. What the fuck was that?


End file.
